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The only obstacle between Barack Obama and the presidency is the mountain of smears that will no doubt come his way. That’s the narrative that Obama supporters — and his swooning chroniclers in the mainstream media — would have us believe.

Obama himself set up a website, fighthesmears.com, correcting some e-mail chain letters that allege he “can’t produce his birth certificate,” is “secretly a Muslim” and that he “won’t say the Pledge of Allegiance.” In May, Newsweek published a cover story confirming the Obama campaign’s fears, declaring that “the Republican Party has been successfully scaring voters since 1968.”

Writers Evan Thomas and Richard Wolfe concluded that the 2008 presidential election will be no different. “It is a sure bet that the GOP will try to paint Obama as ‘the other’ — as a haughty black intellectual who has Muslim roots (Obama is a Christian) and hangs around with America-haters.”

But has it been a “sure bet?”

Not really. Thus far, no one with any serious affiliation to John McCain's campaign has resorted to the alleged “scare” tactics in which Republicans — and, apparently, only Republicans — have been perfecting since Richard Nixon was first elected. On the contrary, if the past few months have showed us anything, it’s that the Obama campaign is the one dealing in crude smears.

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There have been only two incidents in which people officially associated with McCain have done anything approaching what Thomas and Wolfe predicted those dastardly, conniving Republicans would inevitably do. In February, a conservative talk radio host speaking at a McCain rally made reference to “Barack Hussein Obama.” McCain immediately condemned the statement, leading the embittered and embarrassed professional yacker to complain that McCain “threw me under the bus.” The only other smear-worthy episode occurred in March, when the McCain campaign suspended a low-level aide who provided a link on his Twitter account to a video featuring the rants of Obama's former pastor, the Rev. Jeremiah Wright. Heavy stuff, to be sure.

Contrast the absence of smears from the McCain camp with some of the outlandish remarks made by high-ranking Obama supporters. In April, West Virginia Sen. John D. Rockefeller IV said that because McCain “was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet,” and “was long gone when they hit,” the Arizona senator who spent five and a half years in a Vietcong tiger cage having his arms repeatedly broken didn’t really understand the carnage of war. “What happened when [the missiles] get to the ground?” Rockefeller asked a crowd at an Obama rally. “He doesn’t know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues.” That the great-grandson of John D. Rockefeller would impugn the wartime experience of John McCain is especially rich, given that the only “battle” Rockefeller has seen is when he hunts wild game at his 80-acre ranch in Jackson Hole, Wyo.

Rockefeller’s smear was the first salvo in a pattern of attacks meant to insinuate that McCain’s Vietnam experience not only shouldn’t count as meaningful “experience,” but rendered him psychologically unfit for presidential office. In May, Iowa Democratic Sen. Tom Harkin said of McCain, “Everything is looked at from his life experiences, from always having been in the military, and I think that can be pretty dangerous.” Over the weekend, retired Army Gen. Wesley Clark said that McCain is “untested and untried,” and elaborated that, “I don't think getting in a fighter plane and getting shot down is a qualification to become president.” Clark, you may remember, ran for president in 2004 on his record as a career military officer, so his comment, which he has not retracted, was not just morally offensive but self-discrediting.

Obama since day one of his campaign has ran the biggest, ugliest, evilest smear campaigns. He hasn't stopped yet. Sure his Camp does it, his followers do the worse of it, but obama hands are so dirty. He pays people to do it. Then he tries to point fingers, Blame and act innocent. He is guilty as sin and very hateful in it all. Not a Day goes by Where he does not blame someone for something, Dis on someone or twist their words, tell half truths or lie on someone. That is the Obama way. He did such a job on Hillary, he can hardly get his camp and followers to accept her. One thing for sure, which has been noted everywhere, If you follow Obama it changes people into being nasty, mean and most time hateful to others.... Does he have that much control over them and their minds? What will he have them do next? how far will they go and how far will they let obama lead them? Obama Bringing up Patriotism again, to keep saying it so he believes it? Or part of his plan and what he plans for the 4th of July? Is The 4th of July going to be another speech calling Americans Racist? Or is he going to flip flop on the war? Or Bush? I know through his whole campaign him Blaming bush,and the government for everything, talking down about His President and convincing people to hate their president and their government, That was very Unpatriotic.

QUESTION: "Do you question at all his patriotism and secondly do you think your idea of patriotism and his are any different and is that something that you share?"

McCAIN: "I think that Senator Obama is a great American success story. I think his family is. I think he's someone who is admired and respected throughout this country and the world. I think our differences are how we intend to move forward in conducting the affairs of this country. We have very different views and very different positions, and I look forward to ventilating those.

"But I think all Americans are proud of Senator Obama and what he's been able to accomplish, he and his entire family have been able to accomplish, in this nation, and I think it's living proof of some of the greatness of America."

Everone sane knows that it's the Dems that do the smears. Swift boating of Kerry was legit because it was done by other vets. Dems are idiots though and think it was a smear. I think McCain's war record is a legit subject too. Seeking to prosecute McCian for war crimes because he bombed Hanoi like some Dems are saying is not legit though. So Yes, it is the Dems no doubt. No doubt at all.

McCain is the scapegoat for the failing Republican party. He's "smeared" not by Obama, and not necessarily because of his record... he's smeared by the majority of the country because of what he represents: 8 years of US citizens and the world being bamboozled by the Republican party. Is it fair to McCain? If it wholly factual and important? No on both accounts. He's merely caught in the sea change this country is going through.

Legitimate criticism is not a smear Kirchick has a very selective definition of a smear. He seems confused about the difference between a smear and a criticism. Saying that John McCain was a collaborator is a smear Saying that he didn't experience the vietnam war on the ground like Webb, and other Senators is legitimate criticism. If Kirchick can't tell the difference he ought not to have a column

Subject: Presidential Temperament Please talk about and "Compare And Contrast" the " Presidential Temperament" of our Presidential presumptive nominees. I will also request and plead to the nominees themselves [ Hon. Senator McCain and Obama ]. Our nation has been applying this yard and stick tor the appointments and confirmation process of our Supreme Court Justices nominees. Our Greatgrand Nation Foundations are as under: Family, friends, fellows, faith, funds, fun, with fairness & freedom And without fear, favor, and failure. It will be disgrace and shameful if the nominees and media will not look into this critical and crucial aspect under current challenging times and circumstances within our country and all around the Globe. America wake up and the discuss the " Presidential Temperament" of our presumptive presidential nominee's [ Hon. Senator McCain and Obama]. Yours sincerely, COL. A.M.Khajawall [Ret]. Disabled American Veteran Forensic psychiatrist, Las Vegas, Nevada PS:No body is smearing. It is called sad, unfortunate, and tragic politics of personal distortion, destruction, and degradation. Not good for our Greatgrand nation.

There's a good reason why there have only been two Democratic Presidents since 1968. And, it sure as hell isn't because the GOP scared everybody into voting Republican. Also, realize that one out of the two Democratic Presidents ran as a moderate, and then you'll understand how the GOP has won so many elections. It's simply because the Democrats keep nominating far left out of the mainstream candidates, and they've done it again this year. All the spinning in the world by Obama is not going to trick people into thinking he's a moderate.

Not really. Thus far, no one with any serious affiliation to John McCain's campaign has resorted to the alleged “scare” tactics in which Republicans — and, apparently, only Republicans — have been perfecting since Richard Nixon was first elected.

#10 "It's simply because the Democrats keep nominating far left out of the mainstream candidates.."

I'd argue that the mainstream has in-fact shifted to the left. Here's an interesting article:

http://www.salon.com/opinion/f... /> "The counterrevolution is over. For 40 years the radical right has sought to uproot and overturn the American domestic and global order created by centrist liberals of both parties between the 1930s and the 1970s. Liberalism has survived, while the right is not only defeated but also demoralized, dispersed and diminishing."

It’s curious how anyone could argue that a man with such visceral understanding of the capacity for what America’s enemies will do to our men and women in uniform doesn’t fully appreciate the cost of war.

John McCain singing "Bomb bomb bomb, bomb bomb Iran" makes it very easy to argue that he doesn't fully appreciate the cost of war.

Are you kidding me with this article? John McCain and his surrogates have used smear tactics in this campaign, only 2 times that you can remember? Were you JOKING? John McCain himself has repeatedly said earlier on in his campaign that the leaders of Hamas endorsed Obama for President. Did you forget that one? Oh, and let's not forget McCain's " two main smear agents, Karl Rove and Joe Lieberman. Did you forget about the two of them too? Oh, and John McCain has "unofficial smear agents" in Bill O, Sean Hannity, Michelle Malkin, Ann Coulter, and the leader of America's ditto-heads, Rush Limbaugh. These people speak half-truths, spin, and outright lies at times RE: Sen. Obama and they're supposed to go unchallenged? The Tennessee and Carolina GOP released smear campaigns during the primary season against Sen. Obama, and all we got from John McCain was that he couldn't be a referee for everything that people put out against the Senator. That's all we got from McCain! Wesley Clark did nothing but tell the truth when he said that being shot down doesn't give someone the qualifications needed to run the country, because guess what? Nothing against your honorable service to this country, John McCain, but being shot down during your service to this country DOESN'T QUALIFY YOU TO RUN THIS COUNTRY. Period. THE END. But the difference between John McCain and Barack Obama is that as soon as Wesley Clark made those comments, Barack Obama was quick on the draw with a stern rebuttal of them, no matter how unnecessary they were. John McCain is basing the majority of his campaign on his military service and record. A military record that he has yet to release in it's entirety! 600+ pages of his military record have yet to be released! He released 19 or so pages, which I'm sure were the ones that showed him in the best light. But what's taking so long to release the rest of it? If you are gonna run your campaign on your military record, then you have to be forthcoming about it and let the American people decide for themselves. And you'll have to forgive me John McCain, but you've changed your mind and flip-flopped on so much, you'll understand if I don't wanna take your word for it.

As the summer 2008 political campaigns roll on, mainstream media pundits continue to sweatthrough the alleged complexities and obvious realities of America's change movement. We still hear Frankenstein-stitched rationales and analysis on what presidential candidate Barack Obama is thinking, doing and saying, and how the American electorate feels about it. Most of the pundits still just don’t and won't get it.

A major political and socioeconomic paradigm shift, or tipping point, has occurred in the last three-plus years since the 2004 presidential campaign, rising U.S.-Iraqi war death tolls, ballooning American debt, global economic shifts, social insecurity and a decline of real confidence in our national government. In other less stable nations, a major social or violent uprising would be taking place. Fortunately, most Americans still feel more invested in our values and the future thanks to a credible social network of real news.

The iconic "What’s going on?" question is being answered and updated hourly. However, mainstream pundits and sound bite bunnies still use old formulas, clichés and benchmarks to decipher present day realties. Ask them when was the last time they talked face-to-face with twenty average people on the streets of twenty cities about what’s really going on in America. Ask them how recently have they felt furious from the diminishing returns after paying their taxes and bills. Ask them only if you think they'll give you a straight answer — as with many of our public officials. Clearly, their twenty-twenty vision of America suffers from increasing blindness.

Breaking it down, making it plain, keeping it real and facing reality has become a lost ability in the deceit decade. Dumb-downed communication, integrity, insight and honesty have been a growth industry for most of this new millennium's first decade. We accept moronic and misinformed observations about our daily lives as normal in most media and education.

So, it is suffice to say that less is more when it comes to explaining why pundits and news talkers struggle to understand how and why another relatively young and smart senator from Illinois got and holds our attention. Simply put, beyond the depth and detail he can easily communicate, Senator Obama speaks to and with us about what really matters to us — just as "government of the people, by the people, for the people" did in a brief two-plus minute speech by an earlier Illinois politico.

As my father always said, "Simplicity can be difficult for the complicated mind." Nevertheless, as we all pursue the challenges of our choice for change, let's enjoy mainstream media's comic relief in predictably providing profitable podiums for pretentious pre-paradigm pundits pontificating preposterous prognostications about politics and people.

Dennis Moore, Chairperson -- dennis@DCIndependents.org -- District of Columbia Independents for Citizen Control Party (DCICC) -- www.DCIndependents.org -- Proud Member of CUIP (Committee for a Unified Independent Party) -- www.IndependentVoting.org

What else do you expect here from the Clinton attack machine on John McCain......including its 'bully boy' - General Wesley Clark?? This is not coming from Obama.....this is just another 'dirty trick' from the Clinton playbook of master 'dirty tricks' of all time!!!!!! Remember, the Clintons also played all the other 'cards' against Obama during Shrillary's run!!!! (PS: Note the paper document that is stuck on the pitchfork!!)

"The only obstacle between Barack Obama and the presidency is the mountain of smears that will no doubt come his way."

The brilliance of Obama's tactic is that everything, even if true, is considered or construed to be, a "smear" or racist. He is such an empty suit with no trail of legislative success, a squishy history among the most corrupt and race based whackos Chicago has to offer and succeeding to have his lies expunged my the MSM. He's now down to saying whatever he needs to. The insanity of his Second Amendment comments and over compensation he displayed with his "patriotism" speech which even through its gibberishistic contend exposed someone that was obviously trying to convince only himself.